This is where I will be writing articles on things that are massage and essential oil related. It may be an article about what a specific essential oil is used for or the properties of the oil, or it may be about the benefits of massage or some massage related topic. I hope you enjoy reading about my interests.

By atouchofhealt5958, Feb 29 2020 05:47PM

We are bombarded with messages all the time telling us that we need to relax - but at the same time, it seems as if we are also bombarded with reasons not to! The truth is that if you take care of your body and mind, it pays dividends and can help you to deal with some of the unwelcome things in life that stress us out in the first place. The first things to tackle are getting your share of rest and relaxation. Here's why.

Your Body Needs to Rest

Getting enough sleep, and good quality sleep at that, is absolutely essential for functionibg optimally. Whether you're working, learning or just living, sleep is key. Sleep is also essential for restoring your body's energy, repairing muscle and promoting good appetite. Quality of sleep matters as much as the amount of shut eye you cram in. The more time you spend in the REM stage of sleep, the better, as REM (dream) sleep is the most restorative - ideally you should spend about 25% of time in this type of sleep (if you have a fitness tracker, the sleep tracking function can be a real eye opener). Lack of good sleep can lead to a higher risk of heart disease, diabetes, obesity, headaches and depression. Of course, sleep isn't the only way to rest, relaxation while you'r awake is very important too.

You may have heard of the fight-or-flight response? Well, it has and opposite - the relaxation response. This happens naturally when your body no longer thinks it is in any perceived danger, and when the autonomic nervous system returns to normal after a stressful situation. The relaxation response is like an off switch, where the body moves from a stressed state (physiological arousal) to one of calm. You can bring this response on deliberately by using techniques that are designed to relax both body and mind. Some of the most effective ways to do this include:

- Meditation

- Breathing Exercises

- Yoga

- Massage Therapy

- Facials

- Spa Treatments

How To Relax

Making time to unwind and enjoy life is really important - and often undervalued. Relaxation has many physical benefits; it can decrease your blood pressure, help to relieve pain, and also improve your immune and cadiovascular systems. Did you know that a good belly laugh is one amazingly effective way to de-stress? Get the funny films out, a big laugh can potentially help your heart and lung health as well as promoting muscle relaxation. We all know that a good giggle can help our mental health too; as well as flooding our body with feel-good chemicals, it helps to reduce anxiety.

If you aren't getting enough time to relax, you many find yourself feeling tense and stressed out. Next time you feel the fight-or-flight feelings gettin on top of you, or you notice tell-tale effects of stress like break outs or constant headaches, stop it in its track with a massage session, yoga class or some deep breating exercises and feel that relaxation kick back in...

By atouchofhealt5958, Jun 30 2019 10:07PM

When we're deep in the cold, wet clutches of winter, all we can think of is the lazy, hazy summer days. Picnics, barbeques, days out and sunshine are all we remember from the last summer.

Then, when we reach summer time, we remember why summer has stresses of its own. Who hasn't day dreamed about the last summer vacation but forgotten the fact that driving hours to get there left the entire family hot, cranky and dehydrated? Or that on the second day of the break, one of the kids had an allergic reaction to a bug sting and spent the entire week whining about it itching.

With the kids at home, the planned fun and games can also turn into fighting and complaining about being bored. Some days you just wish it was winter again after all! That's why, whether you have kids or not, and wherever you are planning to spend time this summer, you need to schedule in some down time. Summer can really stress you out, so making sure that you're well prepared with pre-vacation treatments and a massage or two will give you that extra relaxation top up and also helps you make your summer holiday about you as well as everybody else.

Remember that even if you are always looking out for everone else, you deserve some time out too. It might be a cliche that gets over used but there is a lot of truth to the statement "you cannot pour from an empty cup" - get your fix of relaxation up front and you will feel much more equipped to give to everyone else.

Top Tips for Stress-Free Summer Months:

Spend time in the sunshine - it really does improve your mood. Load up on sun screen and head out into the back yard with a book and cool drink, even if it's just for 30 minutes. Get the kids out on a play date and make some time for you.

Sneak in a nap - sleep can be compromised over the summer when the temperatures rise, so if you have an opportunity in the day time for a nap, take it and stock up in advance on sleep.

Enjoy a yoga class - perfect for regular relaxation and you can take a few of your favorite moves away on vacation with you, too.

Turn off the iPads - and other gadgets. Give yourself a tech detox for an hour or so a day, or even an entire day vacation if you think you can. Just escaping from the constant ping of notifications can be a great way to unplug stress and chill out.

Don't neglect your down-time. Schedule in time fro YOU in amongst the fun family days out and other activities.

By atouchofhealt5958, May 30 2019 04:31PM

It's not just stressed moms who apprciate a massage - hard working dads love to receive massages too, and what better time to treat your dad than Father's Day?

Dads can be so hard to buy gifts for at the best of times. They probably smile when they are presented with yet another tie, gift set or Amazon gift card, but how happy could you make your dad with a thoughtful gift that will really benefit his health and well-being too?

For Father's Day, it can be difficult to decide what to give the man who has given you so much. How do you show him just how much you appreciate him? This year why not give the most special man in your lfe the gift of health and well-being and treat him to a massage?

Why a Massage Is a Great Gift

Even if your dad is a newcomer to massage therapy and probably wouldn't book a massage session for himself, he's probably always wondered what a massage would be like. Take the decision out of his hands and give him an opportunity to find out for himself with a massage gift certificate for Father's Day.

As any massage lover knows, a massage isn't just something you get after an injury or to relax when you've been overdoing it, it's an important part of a healthy lifestyle that's good for you in its own right. Massage therapy is a good preventative step you can take to keep yourself healthy: treating your dad to massage is a way of telling him that you care and want him to stay well. What better way to show a great dad just how much he means to you? If you need any more convincing, here are a few benefits you might like to share with him on Father's Day.

What a Massage Can Do for Your Dad

1. Regular massage can help to improve his physical performance. As men ( and women ) get older it undeniably gets a bit harder to stay fit, but scheduling in regular massage therapy can help by improving flexibility and overall physical performance, which means your dad gets to stay more active for longer.

2. It helps to keep his blood pressure lower. Cardiovascular health is a big health concern, especially for men, and a dose of regular massage can be a real help with lowering blood pressure if it's on the high side. It also helps reduce stress and tension.

3. It's good for raising immunity. Rather than dealing with the misery of colds and minor illnesses, strenghten his immune system with a massage so that he can fight them off better. Studies have shown that massage really does help to boost natural immunity and increase well-being, which will help your dad to fight off disease and improve his quality of life too.

4. It helps to boost energy, and improve feelings of well-being and vitality.

With all those benefits, you have to admit that a massage gift certificate is much better for your dad this Father's Day than another pair of socks or a tie!

By atouchofhealt5958, May 3 2019 07:12PM

Everybody loves to show their mom how special she is at this time of the year, but how to do it in a way that she'll really appreciate, and that you didn't do last year?

Put a bit of effort into making mom happy and she'll be so grateful that you might get an extra invite for dinner as well! Some people think that they can get away with the cliched candy and chocolate, or flowers for their most important lady.

All Mom's need to be spoiled, and how better to take care of someone than offer them a gift that will do some real good. Moms are busy, almost all of the time. You see her doing her very best to keep everone happy - take notice of the things she says about her mood, her body and how she's feeling and try to find her the right type of massage. At A Touch of Health Massage Therapy, you don't need to worry about choosing the right massage, because the massage will be tailored to her.

Has Mom been complaining of back ache? Or general stiffness, aches and pains? You know that a massage will really help, don't you? Imagine her face as you present her with a gift certificate for massage at her nearest spa or massage center. She'll be super happy to receive a gift that's going to soothe the aches and pains, but also she'll be touched that you actually listened to her when she told you about them.

Maybe Mom does everything for everyone and you think it's about time that she was treated to a little relaxation time? Why not give her a package of massage treatments so that she has to take a little time out and relax on a regular basis? Even if she protests that she doesn't have the time to spend an hour or so on pampering herself, you can bet she'll enjoy it as soon as you convince her that yes, she does! You could even organise a gift set of pampering spa products to go with the massages so that she carries on with a little spa and massage related self-care in the comfor of her own bathroom. Just being a little bit thoughtful will get you a long way.

This Mother's Day give her what she relly wants, and show a little extra care, attention and thought when you choose the gift for your mom. Flowers will wilt, house plants need looking after, chocolates don't last and ornaments need cleaning - but a massage is a gift that keeps on giving...

By atouchofhealt5958, Mar 11 2019 09:38PM

Massage has been around for a very long time and enjoyed by a huge amount of people, but there are always new things to learn. Here are a few things that you might not realize about you favorite massage therapy!

1. Bob Hope got a massage every day and lived to be 100

If that isn't a reason to get your next massage session in your planner right away, I don't know what is!

2. The longest ever 'massage chain' involved 1600 people.

A massage chain is defined as three or more people arranged in a line with each person giving the next in line a massage. The longest massage chain ever recorded was 1,600 people long at an event organized by The Philippine Association of Licensed Massage Therapists (Philippines) in Boracay, Malay Aklan, Philippines, on May 16, 2014. The chain went along the beach in Boracay.

3. The most people to be massaged at once is 641.

This feat was achieved by the Department of Health Service Support Ministry of Public Health (Thailand), which was started by Thailand's Prime Minister, Yingluck Shinawatra.

4. Only blind and visually impaired people can practice massage in South Korea.

According to law makers in South Korea's constitutional court, professional massage services should only be carried out by blind people because they generally have fewer career choices. If you're caught massaging when you're not visually impaired, you could end up getting five years in prison or heafty fines.

5. Julius Caesar was a massage fan.

In 100-44 BC Julius Caesar enjoyed massage therapy on a daily basis to relieve his neuralgia and epileptic seizures. It didn't make him any nicer, mind you.

And - the world's first electric massage chair was invented in 1950. The inventor was a man with a fragile, sickly daughter - he just wanted to be able to get her the benefits of a massage whenever she needed it.

7. "Massage as a word, has been around officially since the 15th Century.

Although it didn't mean the same as it does now. The earliest recorded use of the word "massage" according to the English lanquage was around 1450, when it meant "the action of saying Mass". It took on the modern meaning in 1866, and the words "masseur" and "masseuse" were added in 1876 and 1879 respectively.

8. Almost one in five Americans has had a massage in the past year

According to AMTA's 2017 Consumer Survey, an average of 19% of adult Americans has had at least one massage between July 2016 and July 2017. More than one in three of us (33%) has had a massage in the previous five years -let's get that figure up!

9. Snake massage is actually a THING.

Snake massage started to appear online in 2013. People still try it...it involves washing the snakes, then laying back and letting them slither around, which supposedly feels good and gives an excellent facial.

In th Philipppines, the snakes are fed TEN chickens before they get to work, just to stop them doing what snakes do naturallly...er, no thanks.

10. Sedish massage isn't actually Swedish!

"Swedish" massage techniques are often credited to Swedish fencing instructor Per Henrik Ling. In fact, it was a Dutch practitioner Johan Georg Mezger who developed the treatment as we know it, and he also gave all the strokes the names they have held on to this day. Effleurage, for the smooth gliding strokes; petrissage for squeezing, rolling and kneading; and tapotement, the rhythmic tapping.